Fireweed & Nettle

19/03/2020

This winter I wrote something for my friends Kate and Kailea for an upcoming publication of LOAM magazine about community care self-care and connection in the age of disaster.

As our current crises unfolded it became apparent that it might serve well people in this moment, but it is NOT about any specific event. It is an essay on feeling heartened and connected in hard time with simple, easily adaptable herbal recipes for our bodies and spirits.

AND IT'S FREE, because in these times we need to support each other and also ask "what am I offering in reciprocity? how am I caring for others beyond myself and my nuclear family unit"?

https://loamlove.com/shop/recipes-for-disaster

Created by Milla Prince of The Woman Who Married A Bear for our upcoming print publication Weaving New Worlds, this digital Recipes for Disaster guide is rich in accessible herbal remedies to boost our immunity, nourish our respiratory system, and fortify our spirits in the face of crisis. A

13/03/2020

CANCELING CLASSES -Lopez Folks and other PNW peeps who have signed up for the next 3 classes - I'm gonna cancel COMMUNITY MEDICINE MAKING for NETTLE as well as the TAROT CLASSES. The next class - PLANT MEDICINE for TROUBLED TIMES will go on as scheduled OR BECOME A LIVE ONLINE CLASS if NECESSARY. There's quite a few folx sign up so do email me if you want to be in the loop ([email protected])

I'm in the risk group myself (but am NOT worried for me - just a reminder that your nearest and dearest can be part of the risk groups without you even knowing) and our community has a lot of elders and quite a few immuno-compromised folx.

SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTER FOR UPDATES and OFFERINGS and STAY TUNED FOR HERBAL SUPPORT FROM THE APOTHECARY TOO.

LOVE YOU ALL, take good care of each other

07/02/2020

STORY TIME about !
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but one of the things I’ve been preoccupied with in the last while has been and honest-to-goodness brick-and-mortar APOTHECARY space!There’s no literal bricks or mortar, but this 100+-year-old building houses memories of all the my main work and project places in the past 10 years.

Last spring I was thinking about how to make my work more grounded HERE, to these shores and woods and my island family. How I wanted to spend less time online and more time face-to-face, less time toiling by myself and more time with others, and definitely felt done with traveling up and down the coast to share classes and going to conferences.

That’s when, a bit out of the blue, my friend asked me if I wanted to partner up with her on the Apothecary she’s had here on the island for 3 years.

It seemed so in alignment with my thoughts that I leapt are saying YES. Callie and I have known each other for more than 10 years(she officiated our island wedding!) and have worked together on lots of projects.

We used to run a free school and have an herbal subscription service together so we felt confident in our working relationship.(We also worked together for years at the restaurant next door.)

Her apothecary adventure started with a bit of a bang of her opening it and then leaving for Patagonia for a solo of unknown length. So that summer and I worked the apothecary and have had the pleasure of being part of it ever since in different ways. From the beginning I was so proud of Callie for making it happen and felt invested in this magical place being here for our island community.

I love this little magical space in the heart of our equally little village. Its rooms full of herbs, candles, remedies and little gifts and books, mystery objects, talismans and charms. I love that our neighbors prioritize our local business over amazon, seek our advice for their wellness, stop by for cups of tea and hangouts. I love our kid-friends who touch everything and our teenage friends who stop by to play tunes and look get lip colors and pins.

So this is where you’ll find me❤🏠🌿🌕🍵

02/02/2020

On the Celtic Wheel of The Year that celebrates an ancient Goddess become a saint: Brigit or Bríde. One of many old deities claimed by invading powers, but keeping her core powers intact, hidden under a veneer of “respectability”.

Brigit’s realms are said to be poetry, fire and smith-craft; the customs of the Holy Day offerings of candles and fires, of food, drink, a soft bed for the holy visitor.

It is traditional to begin spring cleaning, to clean the hearth and restart the fires, to hang the clothes out to air and to be blessed.

These are also the days of divination for the new growing season.

Working with seasonal celebrations many people sort of automatically refer back to pre-Christian Celtic traditions, and while those traditions are part of a lot of people’s heritage, there are many other traditions just as potent and meaningful.

For instance, in Northern lore, where the first green is still months away, this celebration marks the end of the “heart of winter”, a SLOW turn towards the promise of spring.

Some folks do also contrast Brigit celebrations to those of Slavic god Perun or Perkunas a god of thunder, fire and fertility, but as is the case with most Slavic and Nordic “Gods”. As a Finn, I’m personally not super fond of them since they’re likely Indo-European invasion imports hiding older land-based traditions. If anything this would have been a fertile moment for my animistic ancestors for it being the beginning of the rutting and birthing season for animals both wild and domestic.

This is a moment of quickening of our hemisphere’s womb, when all around us nature begins their slow unfurling out of winter slumber, and from a tiny spark rekindles their fire.

I for one plan to celebrate with sweeping my home, divination, starting seeds and putting out my winter woolens to air. I will leave out a plate of food for spirits and beings to feast on. Lastly, I started my fire this morning from friction with bow drill and continue to stir it with a poker made by my great-grandfather last of 6 GENERATIONS of blacksmiths in my family.

How are you celebrating? Does it feel like light is returning to where you are? Are you seeing any green?🔥🌱

02/01/2020

NEW YEAR? NEW DECADE? NEW YOU?
I mean, depending on who you are and where you’re from, it’s at least 3rd/6 New Years between October and the end of January, so if you wanna fuss, fuss away, and if you don’t wanna fuss, don’t.
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Even if I couldn’t care less about Gregorian new year,I’ve been enjoying seeing people’s 10 year reflections. Keep me coming!
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It’s traditional, it seems to swear off old selves in the coming days, to promise change and growth, this time of year. To swear we are not who we were, that we will be better, shinier, more productive, more complete this coming circle around The Sun.
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Any and all times are good to reflect on lessons learned,patterns unlearned, relationships, mistakes, healing, brokenness...
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10 years ago I was...well actually I was doing more or less the same things: I lived on this small island. I was married to this same guy. I walked these woods. I grew and gathered plants. I had most of these same friends (thought I’ve made SO MANY MORE AMAZING FRIENDS and sadly also lost a few). I even worked in the same building. ( thinks we both have an energetic pond with this building somehow)Lots has happened,amazing and awful and in-between, but I’m happy that in many ways, NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED.
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Contrary to popular belief I don’t actually think that change is the only constant. Change is cyclical. It doesn’t mean everything is new and different.We grow new skins and learn new things but they add to what’s already there. No matter what we do or where we go all that we’ve experienced is still there for us to reckon with, enjoy and build on.
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So for this “next decade” I hope to be here, doing more or less the same thing, hopefully better and better.
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Happy New Cycles! Thank you for these last 10!
(Pic 1 is at the building I’ve been working at for the most of decade and where I’ll be for the coming years with some new ventures which I can wait to share more about!!)

27/11/2019

🧹Baba’s Brooms at The Witch’s Tower.✨

I’m renting a space in town in an old water tower for my medicine making, broom workshop, Tarot reading, class time and herbal consultations space! This is a big move for me, investing dollars in my own work, creativity and craft.

It’s also the first space I’ve ever held that wasn’t a co-creation, that’s all me. Excited and scared to share what the inside of my head looks like (often messy, chaotic but also soothing and lovely, and starlit💁🏻‍♀️)

If you’re on island, come visit! Also I’m gonna start offering readings online again, starting in the new year, so look out for that.

Mostly though, it’s just for me to have a room of my own, in the words of Virginia Woolf acknowledging that creativity requires space and also that a space is a privilege and a resource.

All of you who are supporting my work, thanks for helping me get some space for myself. It is exciting to create space for my work and make room for it.

Small home folks know: living in a yurt is lovely but not spacious! Shoutout to my partner who’s been putting up with my ways for so long.

19/11/2019

Callie and I goofing off and talking about our community supported herbalism boxes! Check out link in profile & stories for more and can you tell Callie was on an actual TV show but I’m much more comfortable behind the camera😘

04/11/2019

Our community supported herbalism SUBSCRIPTION is LIVE! Get 4 seasonal, hand-crafted, organic medicine boxes shipped to your home with 5-8 medicines, info, recipes and medicine tales! CHECK IT OUT HERE AND GET YOURS! LAST YEAR WE SOLD OUT IN 10 DAYS but this year we're offering double the number of boxes! https://www.thewomanwhomarriedabear.com/fireweednettle/2vnp7ozq4tzhv82mzafpbr6mdxi2ng

14/10/2019

For those of you who didn't yet get our newsletter in your inboxes, here's another way to view it and participate in the Moon Practice we've created.

SUBSCRIBE on the homepage for seasonal practices, medicine, magic & Old Ways

13/10/2019

NEW POST about more Moons/ Seasons/ Old Ways in a new age:

"In some languages, like Finnish, months are actually still directly tied to Moons. This month, for instance is called Lokakuu- it has the poetic ancient meaning of “the dirty-slush moon”, because let’s face it: things get pretty wet and grime-y in that part of the world this time of year. If we look at the etymology of the names of the months in English, “October” comes from ”Octo”, meaning 8th month, because it was the 8th month in the Roman Calendar, which began in March. That word came to English likely through colonization influence. It replaced the old English: Winterfylleð meaning…”winter full moon”!"

https://www.thewomanwhomarriedabear.com/blog/2019/10/12/the-slush-dirt-moon-and-the-nights-of-winter

Happy Full Moon! Just don't call it the The Harvest Moon, or The Hunter’s Moon. Or at least don't if you just saw that online and decided it sounded cool. Back in the good old Lunar calendar days of...well, most of human history, Moons did in fact have names. But those names were unique to the pla

22/05/2019

FOLKS have been asking me about MEDICINE, READINGS & CONSULTATIONS, and I know, I've been on hiatus for a loooong time. Building a home, gardens, local medicine, island family time, personal journeys with ancestry have been on the forefront of my life in the last 9 or so months. BUT if you want to know when I'm offering my magic more widely again sign up for a newsletter right here:

http://www.thewomanwhomarriedabear.com/

15/05/2019

My friend, teacher, fave creature Bristle & Stick • Handcrafted Brooms was interviewed for a magazine and I get to learn and share broom making with them this weekend Sea Grape bath + body (FOUND OUT MORE ON THEIR EVENT CALENDAR

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bethany Ridenour. Bethany, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today? As a young person, I spent much of my life in and out of institutions, juvenile hall/psychiatric hospitals/foster homes/Group homes, etc. When I wasn’t locked u...

15/05/2019

Come spring clean with me and Bristle & Stick • Handcrafted Brooms at Sea Grape bath + body on Friday! Turkey wing hand brooms, cleaning lore and magical practices for the spring, and the medicine of making your space, doing craft and the ancestral medicine of telling stories.

https://www.facebook.com/events/2160299894046364/

08/05/2019

Come make BROOMS with US (me and Bristle & Stick • Handcrafted Brooms)! From the lore and medicine of handcraft and sweeping, to the practical magic of creating your own ritual broom, this workshop is an opportunity to make ritual magic in the most practical way possible!

Friday 5/17 we share handbrooms
Sunday 5/18 we share cobwebs sweepers
SIGN UP Sea Grape bath + body 's events page

26/04/2019

21/03/2019

HAPPY EQUINOX ANF HAPPY FULL MOON:

How do we mark these times of transition, these thresholds between shifting seasons? In this post, I talk about making a nest out of myths and meanings, intuitive knowledge, out of The Moon, out of the physical knowing of our bodies, out plant allies, and Old Ways, and all the things that have made us human a lot longer than smartphones, cars, perpetual busyness and ever-growing cynicism. That's where I'm hoping to live.

http://www.thewomanwhomarriedabear.com/blog/2019/3/20/make-a-nest

The Solstices and The Equinoxes are liminal spaces, the thresholds in-between, still points of moving from one part of the season into the next. I'm a person of the subarctic, and in both the arctic and the thick belt of  forested Taiga below it, seasons traditionally were not four, but eig

24/12/2018

http://www.thewomanwhomarriedabear.com/blog/2018/12/1/holy-days-and-celebrating-them

These are The Holy Days. The days of wonder, of grief, joy, of celebration, of darkness and light in turn.

This post will be particularly meaningful for folks with roots in Northern Europe, but also work for anyone interested in deeper meanings of Yule and Christmas holiday traditions and deeper connections to what makes these days special

22/12/2018

HAPPY SOLSTICE, FOLKS!
Here's a little guide to some Finnish Folk traditions that may make the HOLY DAY season a little more magical and less stressful.
http://www.thewomanwhomarriedabear.com/blog/2018/12/1/holy-days-and-celebrating-them

One of my favorite Christmas memories is from 1995, when I was 16. It was a cold winter, in the Northern town I grew up in, the kind of cold that is hard to imagine if you’ve never lived in the Arctic or the Subarctic; the kind that clears the sky all the way up to the most distant constellations,...